Raja Ampat · Indonesia · Reef · Coral garden · Channel & pass
Citrus Ridge
Lionfish and scorpionfish resting on table and brain corals
Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0
Citrus Ridge is a reef on the edge of a sloping channel, topped by a hard coral garden in the sunlit shallows. Table and brain corals give resting spots to lionfish and scorpionfish, and wobbegong sharks, octopus and nudibranchs share the reef. Divers come for the hard corals and the variety of life on them.
Where it is and how deep
0.5128° S, 130.4604° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
On the descent lionfish and scorpionfish are often found resting on the table and brain corals. The hard coral garden lies in the sunlit shallows at the edge of the sloping channel, and the reef drops to 27 m. A school of bumphead parrotfish sometimes passes.
Wobbegong sharks, eels and octopus hide in the reef, nudibranchs crawl over it, and barracudas, fusiliers, breams, surgeonfish and triggerfish swim above.
Marine life and season
- Wobbegongs
- Barracuda
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Raja Ampat: October to April is the drier stretch and November to April the manta season at Manta Ridge; July to mid-September can bring strong winds and rough seas.
Photos from Citrus Ridge
Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0
Ben Costamagna · CC BY 4.0
Dive videos
🐟 ¡RODEADOS DE MILES DE PECES EN RAJA AMPAT! 🌊🇮🇩 | Citrus Ridge | Papúa | 06-11-2024 🤿 · Producciones Maldisub on YouTube
Sources
- Citrus Ridge dive site — PADI
- Citrus Ridge — ScubaGo
Photo credits
- Six long silver barracuda with dark tails swim together in deep blue water. by Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A yellow and white butterflyfish with dark diagonal stripes swims over coral. by Jean-Paul Boerekamps, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A yellow-green jack swims in blue water with small fish scattered behind it. by Ben Costamagna, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Raja Ampat
Reef
Reef hook dive at 10-12 m in very strong current
Schooling jacks hunting silversides under the village jetty
Overhang at 28-35 m with the wall dropping past 50
Reef
Five Rocks: a repeat-request reef to around 24 m
House reef from the jetty at 2 m down to 20 m
Pinnacle
Cleaning stations on the summit, mantas on the flanks in season
Fish fill the water before your BCD is finished deflating
Wall
A drift from schooling fish on the point to macro on the slope
Similar dives elsewhere
A channel drift at 1 to 3 knots between two wrecks
Rhinopias and blue-ringed octopus among shallow coral bommies
A jukung-only reef of bommies and soft coral away from the crowds
The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest